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Caryl Churchill's Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, set during the English Civil War, tells the story of the men and women who went into battle for the soul of England. Passionate, moving and provocative, it speaks of the revolution we never had and the legacy it left behind.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, England stands at a crossroads. Food shortages, economic instability, and a corrupt political system threaten to plunge the country into darkness and despair.

The Parliament men who fought against the tyranny of the King now argue for stability and compromise, but the people are hungry for change.

For a brief moment, a group of rebels, preachers, soldiers and dissenters dare to imagine an age of hope, a new Jerusalem in which freedom will be restored to the land.

Premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1976, the play was revived at the National Theatre in 1996 and again in 2015, in a production directed by Lyndsey Turner.

REVIEWS

"Its picture of a society in chaos, people starving and in despair of a larger meaning to their suffering ... has an awful sense of contemporary prescience." - N.Y. Post.

"A challenging and beautifully written work.... An edgy, incisive examination of revolution and the betrayals that so often follow." - Variety

"As with Shakespeare, the historical events are lucidly depicted with no sacrifice of theatrical pizzazz." - The Nation

Characters

CASTING

4m, 2f

CASTING ATTRIBUTES

Caryl Churchill was born on 3 September 1938 in London and grew up in the Lake District and in Montreal. She was educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. Downstairs, her first play written while she was still at university, was first staged in 1958 and won an award at the Sunday Times National Union of Students Drama Festival.
Caryl Churchill’s plays include: Owners, Traps, Light Shining in ... view full profile